Only Wish
by crazysockmonkeys
Summary: Niles discovers a piece of art at an auction that falls out of his normal range of style...yet he can't seem to take his eyes off of it. One-shot based off the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea.


**Author's note: Hello! As I said in my summary, this story is based off the Greek myth of Pygmalion and Galatea. Of course, you don't have to in order to read this story, but I would recommend looking up a short summary of the myth before reading this to have a better understanding of the original story. Anyways, enjoy this weird little idea I had!**

* * *

"I'm beginning to regret coming to this auction, Niles. They haven't brought one single quality piece up all evening."

"Yes, I pity the soul of the poor man who bought that last painting. It was a disgrace."

Frasier and Niles stood in the back of a large ballroom as elegantly dressed people buzzed around them, some sitting down, some mingling about. Niles had only come on Maris' insistence. She had wanted some new artwork for their home. She herself had wanted to pick the pieces but had fallen ill and was now at home. Niles was nervous about the outcome of what he would choose. He had no real way of knowing whether his demanding wife would find his choice favorable.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you soon, Niles. I doubt they'll bring out anything to suit my style."

"Me either, but I don't want to go home empty handed. Maris can get a little...pushy when she's feeling under the weather."

"Ah," said Frasier, and they were silent for a few moments.

The last item had just been sold and Niles heard the auctioneer announce the next piece. He didn't really pay much attention to the title, but when it was revealed Niles felt his heart begin to bang against his chest. It was an ivory statue of a woman, but it wasn't just that. There was something about the woman the art depicted...he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Frasier," Niles whispered. "I have to have that statue."

"Are you kidding? You could barely call that thing art, Niles. It doesn't have any symmetry, it doesn't have any balance, lifelike yes, but...what will Maris say?"

"I don't care. I just have to..."

"Bidding will start at five thousand dollars," he heard the auctioneer say.

"FIVE THOUSAND!" Niles yelled, louder than he had ever yelled before. He frantically searched for his number sign and held it in the air.

"What's gotten into you, Niles? It's very overpriced," he heard Frasier say.

But Niles continued to bid, going up higher and higher until the price had reached seven thousand dollars and it was sold to him.

After the auction, Niles went to get the statue with Frasier beside him. Seeing what he had purchased up close was even more gratifying. "What's the statue's name again?" He asked.

The answer came, "Uh..._Daphne Moon."_

"It's beautiful," said Niles. The woman was carved out of white ivory. She was about Niles' height with long hair and striking eyes. She wore a flower print dress and a short necklace. He looked and saw that there was no ring around her finger.

"She's beautiful," he repeated.

"Niles, Maris is not going to be happy. Where is she going to want to put this?" Asked Frasier as arrangements were made for Daphne to be carried to Niles' mansion in a truck.

"We'll put her in my office."

_"Her?"_

"I mean _it_. We'll put _it_, the statue, in my office."

"Niles, you're acting very strangely."

"I don't see why. I saw a statue, I liked it, I bought it."

"But...this...is not your style, and it certainly isn't Maris'!"

"Oh, surely you've experienced anomalies in your style before."

"Brief anomalies! Not such as _Daphne Moon!_ And even if I did find a piece of art like this that I admired, I certainly wouldn't buy it, how would it fit in with my apartment? How is this going to fit in at your Gothic mansion?"

"She..._it_ is a striking piece of art as are all of our other pieces. I'm sure it will fit in very well."

Frasier debated with Niles all the way back to Frasier's apartment, the younger brother dropped him off. His last words to Niles were, "I'm just glad I don't have to see Maris' reaction." With that, he closed the car door.

As Niles drove home, he couldn't stop thinking about Daphne. She was the most attractive woman he had ever seen in his life. Frasier was right, Maris would find it strange that Niles liked such a statue, but surely she'd make room. Niles could just see Daphne's face, a closed lipped smile frozen on her lips. Mmm...and her body was carved ever exquisitely. My, whoever created Daphne sure did wonderful work.

He couldn't wait to see her again when she got dropped off tomorrow.

_She's only a statue,_ thought Niles. _It. It is only a statue. Besides, I have a wife._

Niles tried to dismiss his thoughts of Daphne for the rest of the evening, but to no avail. When he returned home, he found Maris asleep in her room. He himself got ready for bed and tried to fall asleep quickly, but he couldn't help but feel excited about Daphne's arrival the next day.

* * *

The following morning, Niles woke to the sound of Maris screaming his name. He threw on his bathrobe and rushed downstairs to find Maris up in arms about Daphne's arrival.

"Niles, I respected your taste more than this!" Squealed Maris.

"I'm sorry, Maris, but she caught my eye and I thought she might go well..."

"Well with what, Niles? How much did you pay for this trash?"

"Seven thousand."

"Seven thousand?!"

"Pardon me, Maris, but sometimes I find it suitable to...to help out lesser known artists."

Maris clutched her forehead. "I guess there's nothing to do now. Niles, since you're the one who screwed up, you figure out what to do with this...thing."

Niles looked at Daphne, so stunning in the light of a new day. "Bring her...bring it into my office. We can take the elevator." The man holding Daphne on a dolly followed Niles into the elevator. He continued to stare at Daphne, looking at the way her eyes shined in the light.

_Her surface must be so smooth,_ Niles thought, looking her hands. She was definitely worth seven thousand dollars, in fact, she was worth much, much more.

Niles instructed the deliveryman to place her in the corner of his office so that he could look at her while he worked and then sent him off when Daphne was in place. Every day, he made sure that no dust accumulated on her and that she was in good condition. Once, when Maris was not home, he touched her soft hand and found that when he did, heat ran through him.

"Daphne," he said, when he did, looking into her eyes. They seemed to be looking right back at him.

_What am I doing, speaking to a statue?_ He thought. _She...it isn't real. It is carved ivory, nothing more._

But Niles could never stop thinking about Daphne, even when he wasn't in his office. When he and Maris separated, he took Daphne with him, and when he and Maris divorced and he moved to the Montana, he took her with him them too. He tried to date other women, but he didn't find fulfillment in them. He could only think of Daphne.

He never told anyone, for how strange it was to admit he...had a thing for a statue? People would think he was crazy, and his practice would fail. He stayed up nights just staring at her, just imagining her. Once, he draped his fingers over her beautiful and intricately carved face. He rested his forehead on hers and thought about what it could be like to kiss her.

But she wasn't real. _She...it is only a statue._

Frasier and Martin found it very strange when Niles would bring his piece of art up to them in conversation, and he knew this, but he didn't care. Frasier had to hold his tongue on several occasions and worried about his brother's mental stability.

One evening, Frasier told Niles this, how he found Niles' deep love for an inanimate object to be a sign of a major psychological problem. He said that he wanted Niles to see a therapist friend of his and Niles was deeply hurt.

But maybe he was right. After all, he knew it wasn't normal to love a woman who wasn't and had never been alive, a woman who had only been created in one mind.

That night, he went home and walked to Daphne straight away. He took her hand and looked at her for the thousandth time. A tear ran down his cheek at his intense desire for her. He put his fingers over her lips and wanted dearly to kiss her. Another tear came down and he said softly, "Oh, Daphne, I love you. If only you were real." Niles fell down on his knees and cried before her.

Not long after that, he heard a sound like a woman clearing her throat. He turned around to see a woman in a long, green, sparkly dress sitting on his desk, her hair pulled up in an elaborate style. "Hey," she said. "I'm Roz, the love goddess."

"The love goddess?"

"Uh huh. You're looking pretty sad there."

"Frasier's right. I am delusional."

"I can promise you, you're not hallucinating."

"What sort of credible source are you?"

"Look, do you want help or not?"

"I do, I do."

"All right, what's the problem?"

"You don't know?"

"No. My job is to show up when sincere men like you need love help. Usually I assist them by showing them around town, but I can see that's not going to work for you."

"No, I'm afraid not." Niles stood up and looked longingly at Daphne. "I love this woman," he said, motioning to her.

"Oh, well that is a problem."

"Can you help me?" "What can I do?"

"Could you turn her into a real woman?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Please?"

"Just hang on a second." Roz looked at Daphne analytically from head to toe.

"All right, I'll do what you want. She kind of looks like me."

"She looks _nothing_ like you."

"Well, she looks nice. Anyway, it's done."

"Thank you...love goddess."

"You're welcome. I think you guys will be happy." Roz smiled and disappeared before Niles' eyes.

He turned to Daphne. She looked the same. He sighed hopelessly and put a hand on her cheek.

Suddenly, he began to feel heat beneath his hand, and Daphne's skin began to appear. He touched her shoulder and found that he could feel the cloth of her dress. It was happening, Daphne was becoming human!

And suddenly, she was standing before him, real as life! She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Hello, Dr. Crane!" She said.

"H-hello, Daphne," he said, realizing that he had never been so happy.

"It's so lovely to meet you," she said. "Although I feel like I already know you."

"You're English?" "Yes, from Manchester. There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Yes, and I'm going to enjoy learning all of those things!"

Daphne laughed, put her hands on the side of his head and kissed him. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly. It felt like nothing he had ever felt before, it was so strong and lovely. This was just like a dream!

She hooked her hand into his. "Niles, I'm eager to meet your family, but I'm glad that Mrs. Crane is gone. We didn't really like each other much. But your father and brother seem nice."

Niles was beginning to wrap his head around the fact that the only real wish he had ever had had come true.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
